Glasgow Rangers striker Joe Garner has endured a mixed time since arriving at Ibrox.
Ally McCoist
Former Rangers striker Ally McCoist has offered some words of advice for Joe Garner, as well as to the rest of the team on how to get the best out of the 28-year-old, The Sunday Post reports.
Garner has endured a fairly mixed spell at Ibrox since making the move from Preston North End last summer. Despite seemingly being on his way to cult-hero status early on, supporters gradually started to become frustrated with some of his performances and the lack of goals.
But while McCoist has defended Garner by suggesting that the team have not played to his strengths since his arrival, he also warned the forward that he needs to stop being so aggressive if he wants to be a success.
“Centre-forwards need people to get balls in the box and create chances,” he told The Sunday Post.
“I am not sure he was getting those earlier in the season.
Rangers’ Joe Garner
“I’d be telling the rest of the boys to get the ball in the box for him to attack, and I would tell him to make sure he doesn’t step over the line.
“Play your normal game but don’t overstep the mark, because you’re no good to anybody sitting in the stand.”
No player in the Rangers squad has collected more yellows in the Scottish Premiership than the six that Garner has acquired, and a couple of those have certainly been needless.
The rash challenge during the defeat to Dundee in February saw him suspended for the most recent Old Firm game, while he was arguably lucky to stay on the pitch following a bizarre swipe at Dougie Imrie in the recent win over Hamilton in the Scottish Cup.
But if Pedro Caixinha can get Garner to harness that aggression and use it in a more canny manner, while also getting the team to play to his strengths as McCoist suggests, then perhaps he could get back to becoming the cult-hero that fans hoped he would be shortly after he joined.
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